Raw's Challenge
by Donna8
Summary: Answer to a challenge on the TinMan Grand Prix on live journal. Raw is confronted with life after the fall of the witch - Raw - DG - Cain - Glitch - no pairings.


**This was written for the TinMan Grand Prix Challenge. This challenge made Raw the focus of the story. He is such a wonderful, but complex character to write for, but there is something about him, but is so moving. Hope you enjoy.**

**_Disclaimer: I do not own anything TinMan._**

The cries of the wounded resounded through the air. DG placed a bucket of water next to a moaning figure. She carefully sponged off blood from the man's face. It would help Raw tend to the wounded if she could assess the damage ahead of time. The fall of the witch had not been without cost. Longcoats had fought a desperate losing battle. Jeb's resistance fighters with their explosive charges had done untold damage to the remaining Longcoats. The men that Raw and DG were attending were in fact members of the witch's army.

Raw had been drafted by DG and the Queen to assist in healing as many of the wounded as he could. Tutor had been right in his assessment that Raw was a viewer of incomparable talent. He was able to empathically sense the goodness or evil of any who crossed his path. With the multitude of wounded, Raw's healing ability had been a god-send. He was able to mend the cuts and bruises of many, leaving the OZ's version of a doctor to handle the more serious cases.

DG had left behind her sister and parents to help her empathic friend. She knew that Raw's new found courage would need a boost from his friends. She had found the viewer hunched over a wounded soldier, slowly mending a long jagged cut on the man's leg. Together the two set up a rhythm. DG would walk among the wounded and find those that could use Raw's assistance. Raw would follow behind healing body and soul as he went. However, DG could not see the toll this was taking on her friend.

DG looked up from her self-appointed task to search for Raw. He had been a few men behind her, but now he was missing. Wearily, she laid down her rag and bucket. She needed to find Raw and have him heal the injured man. Tracing her steps back, she found the viewer sitting with his back against a wall. His eyes were closed and exhaustion lined his face.

"Raw, wake up. I found another one for you to heal," the young girl called softly. She knelt down beside him, laying a hand on his shoulder. The sound of DG's voice did not penetrate, but the touch of her hand galvanized him. His eyes flew open in panic, and he arched away from her. DG fell back startled.

"Hey, it's just me." She said as Raw tried to control his racing heart.

The timid man turned and looked at DG through lowered eyes. "Raw, sorry. Fell asleep. DG tired too. Raw heal man. DG go rest." He spoke softly and hesitantly.

DG leaned over the hug him. She didn't notice Raw wince in pain as he came into contact with her body. "We're both tired. We are almost through, then we can both rest."

Raw sighed inwardly. It was so hard being around everyone. When it was just DG, Cain, and Glitch, he was able to control the backlash of emotions that swirled around them. But now, he was being bombarded constantly with emotions and images from the many resistance fighters and wounded Longcoats. He hid his discomfort and pain at the proximity of so many people because he wanted to live up to DG's belief in him.

He had never told his friends why he had left his tribe. They mistaken believed he had escaped from the Witch's tower. The truth was he had been banished to protect the members of the tribe. Raw's empathic and healing abilities were more impressive than anyone knew. Normally, a viewer could see details of person's life only if they touched the person and remained in contact for long periods of time. Only a handful of viewers were able to heal. Raw was the first viewer in over three generations to have the ability to heal and sense a person's mental state without having to be in close contact with them. Because of his advanced abilities, anytime he came into contact with another viewer, the mental backlash of Raw's ability sent them into a catatonic state.

Raw had learned early to block his thoughts and feelings from other viewers, but as he grew older, his powers grew stronger until even blocking them did not prevent other viewers from getting drawn into his mind. So the tribal elder had banished Raw and sent a message to other tribes to shun him. He had been traveling alone for a long time until he had been saved from the Papay by DG.

At first, being around DG, Cain, and Glitch had been a joyous release. Raw tentative reached out to see DG's heart. He was gratified to find someone who saw him as a being, and not a freak. Healing Cain had given Raw the chance to stretch his healing abilities, which had not been used in a long time. He was able to see into the heart of the cold man to the caring individual that still lived. These three beings became his tribe, and as such he would do anything for them, even if it meant injuring himself.

DG led Raw to the injured man. Raw knelt down and placed his hands over the freshly cleaned wound. It was a deep cut, but with Raw's help, he would barely have a scar. Taking a cleansing breath, Raw closed his eyes and allowed his powers to flow through his hands. DG watched in amazement as layer after layer of skin, muscle, and tissue mended before her eyes.

As the last of the wound was mended, DG leaned over to whisper to Raw. "It's done, Raw. You can stop now."

Raw did not answer. Instead, more power flowed through his hands to try and heal the man's mind. Raw mentally wrenched back at the darkness and decay he found there. He could not find any trace of light or goodness in the man's soul. A single tear of sadness leaked from Raw's eye. Just as Raw tried to draw his power back into his body, a dark force leapt from the man's mind and grabbed hold of him. Mental teeth sunk into Raw's mind and refused to let him go. Raw cried out in pain.

DG shouted for help as she tried to remove Raw's hands from the man's body. Tutor appeared quickly.

"Help me. I can't get him free, and he is in pain." DG told her teacher. Closing his eyes, Tutor chanted a small spell to break the connection between the viewer and patient. Raw fell back unconscious to the floor.

DG pulled Raw's head into her lap, gently stroking his brow. "What's wrong with him, Tutor? What just happened? That didn't happen with the other patients."

Tutor waved his hands over Raw. "Looks like some remnants of the witch's power. Whoever this guy is, the witch poured a lot of magic into him. When Raw touched his mind, the witch's power reacted and tried to rip his mind apart."

Raw stirred and slowly opened his eyes. DG smiled watery down at him. "Hey there. How are you feeling?" She asked.

Raw could feel the concern and fear emanating from her. It grated on his already shattered nerves. He moved away DG. He smiled to reassure her and spoke quietly. "Raw okay. Magic in man bad. Raw not hurt. Cain lock man up before hurt others."

"Oh, Raw I am so glad you are okay. That scared me badly." DG reached to hug her friend in relief. Tutor, standing by silently, watched pain dart across the viewer's face. He spoke to DG, "Why don't you go and get Mr. Cain? I'll stay here with Raw."

"Will you be okay here with Toto, Raw?" She asked.

Raw patted her hand in assurance. "Raw fine. Go find Cain."

The princess jogged down the corridor in search of Cain. Tutor turned to Raw.

"When are you going to tell them?" He asked.

Raw moved toward a wall and leaned against it tiredly. "Raw okay. Friends need not know."

Tutor scoffed. "You can't keep this up. Your friends don't understand what is going on, but I do. You've exhausted your blocks. Keep this up and you'll kill yourself."

Raw wanted to glare at the shapeshifter for being right, but he was too tired to sum up the energy. "Raw handle it. Just need to rest."

"I'm not stupid Raw. There are too many people here. You can't block indefinitely. If you don't tell them, then I will." Tutor told the tired man.

"Tell us what?" Cain's voice came from behind Tutor. DG and Cain stood waiting for someone to explain what was going on. Tutor looked hard at Raw, who refused to acknowledge the question.

Tutor sighed. "Raw is extending himself too much. If he keeps this up, he could hurt himself."

Cain grunted. "Time for a break, Raw. DG, you take Raw to the castle. You both need a few hours of sleep."

Tutor shook his head. "That won't help. It's the proximity of people that's affecting him. He needs to be away from so many people. "

DG interrupted her former teacher. "No, we can't send Raw away. He's our friend. The Queen! She should know how to help Raw."

Raw roused himself enough to speak. "No worry Queen. Raw okay. Tutor over state problem."

Cain ran a critical eye over the viewer. "I don't think so, Raw. You look like digested Papay food."

"Eww, Cain! That's just gross." DG said.

"It's the truth." Cain responded. He reached down and grabbed Raw's arm to haul him up. Cain wrapped one arm around the viewer's body and placed a furry arm over his shoulders for support. "Let's find you a quiet place while we figure out what we can do."

Even though he tried to block the onslaught, Raw was hit hard by Cain's emotional state. It was enough to push the viewer too his limit. Raw's eyes rolled back in his head, and he slumped against Cain.

DG jumped forward to help, but Tutor's shout of "NO!" stopped her.

"Don't touch him. He's lost his blocks and any touch could send him into a coma." Tutor said reaching out to hold DG to him. Her eyes glanced from him to the limp viewer in Cain's arms.

"How do we help him?" DG questioned Tutor.

Cain shifted Raw to get a better grip on him. "Right now, we need to get him away from the castle. Tutor, where can we take him?"

Tutor thought for a moment. "There is an abandoned house on the edge of the castle property. It should be far enough away from the castle to help him."

"Lead the way." Cain told him. "DG, you go back to your parents and let them know what's going on. I'll stay with Raw."

DG nodded. She ghosted one hand near Raw's face before leaving. Tutor turned to quickly walk down the corridor. He spoke over his shoulder, "Can you handle him, Mr. Cain? I'm afraid I might push him further away if I touch him."

"I got him. You just lead the way."

Cain's arms were aching by the time the trio had made it outside to the empty house. It was barren and unkempt, but a bed still stood in one room. Cain shifted Raw until he lay down on the bed. Cain stretched his back to rid himself of the kinks.

Raw did not move. He appeared frozen in time. Cain walked back to the front room where tutor was waiting.

"I'll head back to the castle. We will find a solution." Tutor told Cain. Cain nodded. He watched the shape-shifter walk away. He then turned to the house and began cleaning up the debris.

Raw slowly grew aware of his surroundings. The quiet was first to register. The cacophony of voices, images, and emotions were gone. He could feel the faint imprint of the Tin Man nearby, but the rest was blessed silence. A tired sigh escaped him. He hadn't realized how much energy he had expended at the castle. It was no wonder his mind and body had shut down.

He felt Cain moving toward him. "So you're awake. How are you feeling?" Cain asked from the doorway.

Raw sat up in the bed. "Feel better. Not so loud here. Quiet good."

Cain laughed softly. "Yeah, first time since the suit that I've not been surrounded by more than one person." He paused, "You want to talk about it?"

Raw glanced down. "Raw feel too much. Many thoughts, feelings. Not used to it." He then looked anxiously at Cain. "Raw not want to worry friends. Want to stay with DG and you. You Raw's tribe now."

Cain shook his head. "We aren't letting you get away from us. We're a family, now. But, you can't hide things from us." Cain's voice hardened, "The next time you put yourself in danger, I will personally feed you to the Papay myself. Understand?"

Raw suppressed a smile at Cain's caring threat. He nodded solemnly. "Raw understand. Not hide things from family again."

"Good. Now that that's cleared up, why don't we figure how to solve this 'overload'? If I'm not mistaken, I bet, DG and Glitch will be down here in a bit. She was real scared, so let's try not to do that again, okay?"

Raw shyly nodded. He felt comforted by the presence of Cain and in the distance he could feel DG and Glitch making their way to him. Together, the four companions would solve this problem and keep their little family together.


End file.
